Israel has issued a strong warning, stating its military will intensify attacks against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. This announcement comes just a day after the Lebanese Health Ministry reported four fatalities from an Israeli air strike.
Despite a ceasefire agreement with the Lebanese militant group in November 2024, Israel continues to maintain troops in five southern Lebanese areas and has consistently conducted strikes. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz criticized Hezbollah, stating, “Hezbollah is playing with fire, and the president of Lebanon is dragging his feet.” He further emphasized, “The Lebanese government’s commitment to disarm Hezbollah and remove it from southern Lebanon must be implemented. Maximum enforcement will continue and even intensify — we will not allow any threat to the residents of the north.”
Following the outbreak of the war in Gaza in October 2023, Hezbollah began launching rockets into Israel, leading to a year-long conflict. This forced thousands of Israelis living near the northern border to evacuate their homes for months, culminating in two months of open warfare before a ceasefire was eventually reached last year.
Although significantly weakened by the conflict, the Iran-backed militant group, a staunch opponent of Israel, maintains its arms and financial stability. In a major blow to the group, Israel killed its long-standing leader, Hassan Nasrallah, along with numerous other senior figures during the war in September 2024.
Since the ceasefire, the United States has been increasing diplomatic pressure on Lebanese authorities to disarm Hezbollah, a move that the group and its allies strongly oppose.
Israel’s Persistent Air Strikes and Lebanese Response
Despite the existing truce, Israel has continued its air strikes in Lebanon, frequently stating that these operations target Hezbollah positions. These attacks have notably intensified in recent days.
Last Thursday, Israeli ground forces conducted a deadly raid into southern Lebanon, prompting Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to instruct his army to actively counter such incursions. President Aoun had previously initiated talks with Israel in mid-October, following the U.S.-brokered ceasefire in Gaza.
However, President Aoun later accused Israel of escalating its air strikes in response to his peace overture. The most recent of these strikes occurred on Saturday, claiming four lives in the Nabatiyeh district, as confirmed by the Lebanese health ministry.
The official Lebanese National News Agency reported that a car was struck by an Israeli “guided missile.” The Israeli military corroborated the strike, confirming the deaths of a member of Hezbollah’s Radwan Force and three other members of the group in southern Lebanon. The military asserted that “The terrorist was involved in transferring weapons and in efforts to reestablish Hezbollah’s terrorist infrastructure in southern Lebanon,” adding that “The terrorists’ activities constituted a threat to the State of Israel and its civilians, and a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.”